Bellator 172's Patricky Freire has a lot of respect for Josh Thomson, but still wants to rip his head off

If you’re looking for expletive-filled smack talk, you’re certainly not getting it from Patricky Freire.

Set to co-headline Bellator 172 against Josh Thomson (22-8 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) on Saturday, Freire (16-8 MMA, 9-7 BMMA) has had his sights set on the UFC vet since he was first signed to the Bellator roster. That focus, however, is in no way to be taken as a sign of disrespect for the former Strikeforce champion. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

“As soon as I heard (Thomson) was hired, I think I was the first guy to email Bellator asking to fight him,” Freire told MMAjunkie. “So, when they offered it to me, I didn’t even think twice. I was already training, staying in shape, and he’s a guy who needs no introduction. He’s a top fighter in the lightweight class. Some people say he’s coming off three losses in the UFC. Yes, but of those three fights, the only one I consider a loss was the last one, to Tony Ferguson.

“He’s a guy who has a big name, and a lot of respect and admiration from a lot of people. So it’s a great opportunity for me. I consider it the biggest fight in my career. Even the champion (Michael Chandler) is asking to fight him, and I’m the one who got this opportunity.”

The lightweight bout is the co-main event of this Saturday’s Bellator 172, which takes place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Freire comes into the scrap on a sour note, having most recently failed to capture Bellator’s vacant belt after suffering a highlight-reel knockout at the hands of champ Chandler at Bellator 157 in June. Thomson, in turn, comes on the heels of back-to-back wins, the last of which took place 13 months ago.

Thomson’s proneness to injuries and, consequently, long layoffs are not exactly a secret among his peers. But, as far as Freire can tell, they’ve proven to be no sign of weakness either.

“He has this history of injuries, but every time he came back, he never had this problem of showing lack of rhythm inside the cage,” Freire said. “He always showed up prepared and very well, physically. So I’m sure (ring rust) won’t happen.

“I’m fighting him in his hometown, so he won’t put on an out-of-shape performance, and I’m sure he’ll be very well-prepared. Of the fights he did at home, I think a fight that was really remarkable was the Strikeforce one against Gilbert Melendez, which was a five-round war. So I’m sure that he will be prepared for a three-round fight.”

His focus on the immediate challenge doesn’t keep Freire from speculating about future possibilities, and they could involve some interesting fraternal dynamics. Coming off a TKO loss to former UFC champ Benson Henderson (24-7 MMA, 1-2 BMMA), his featherweight brother and ex-champ Patricio Freire has long eyed a scrap with Chandler, while Patricky himself would like a chance to take on Henderson.

His brother, he says, is not only OK with this idea – he even likes his odds.

“The will is there,” said Freire, who also reiterated his longstanding desire to test himself at the 145-pound division that his brother once ruled. “To fight a guy who’s been a UFC champion, who was a top-5, who already fought and won at the welterweight division, a guy who’s been very tested – a big name, who’s very respected in MMA.

“When Patricio fought him, I think that same day, when he was at the hospital or even in the locker room, I already had that desire, and my brother said: ‘Patricky, brother, I am certain that if you fight Ben Henderson you’ll beat him. I’m absolutely certain. Your game is a bad matchup for his. It’s a great opportunity to get a guy like him.'”

Hypotheticals aside, Freire now has a very real matchup ahead of him in Thomson. And while he’s made it perfectly clear he has no personal beef with “The Punk,” he’s not about to go easy on him in the cage either.

“The dangers I bring to him he knows and everyone knows,” Freire said. “It’s my hands. He knows I have a lot of knockout power and if my hand lands, he’ll go down. I respect him, and will keep doing so, but a fight is a fight. It’s my job.

“I’ll want to rip his head off. That’s what I want, and he knows it. He knows I want to put my hands on his face. He knows I want to knock him out.”